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Field Hunting in North Texas
#8104427
12/27/20 06:14 AM
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Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 11
Trey Finn
OP
Light Foot
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OP
Light Foot
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 11 |
Wanted to hear some opinions and input on this. I’m looking to start hunting ducks in dry fields, however don’t really see or hear much about that in North Texas. Obviously corn, milo, or soybean are king when it comes to field ducks, and winter wheat is king in North Texas it seems. I’m not asking anyone to give up their spots or their secrets, more so just wanting to get a gauge of if anybody really hunts ducks on dry land in North Texas. Would love to have a conversation about it with anyone in the same position or willing to share some wisdom. Thanks y’all.
-Trey
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Re: Field Hunting in North Texas
[Re: Trey Finn]
#8104429
12/27/20 06:19 AM
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 11,093
Greg
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 11,093 |
Never tried it personally, but there used to be a lot of peanut farms that brought a lot of birds to the area. Not sure how much peanut farming is still done here, but if you had access to some of those fields maybe 
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Re: Field Hunting in North Texas
[Re: Trey Finn]
#8104510
12/27/20 01:55 PM
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Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 21,080
Biscuit
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 21,080 |
Wanted to hear some opinions and input on this. I’m looking to start hunting ducks in dry fields, however don’t really see or hear much about that in North Texas. Obviously corn, milo, or soybean are king when it comes to field ducks, and winter wheat is king in North Texas it seems. I’m not asking anyone to give up their spots or their secrets, more so just wanting to get a gauge of if anybody really hunts ducks on dry land in North Texas. Would love to have a conversation about it with anyone in the same position or willing to share some wisdom. Thanks y’all. I never have or heard of any one that does
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Re: Field Hunting in North Texas
[Re: Trey Finn]
#8104772
12/27/20 06:59 PM
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Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 458
Brother Phil
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 458 |
I used to have access to a wheat field NE of Greenville. I had some success with snow geese, and mallards. The land owner sold the ranch, good bye to the access. I live in Crandall, and used to see some snow geese in the Spring. Not anymore. I don't know where they went. I don't know anyone who does field hunting in the area.
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Re: Field Hunting in North Texas
[Re: Trey Finn]
#8105134
12/28/20 01:59 AM
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 557
Littledog
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 557 |
This is just what I experienced / learned from hunting geese in the panhandle and north Texas: I always hunted geese with an outfitter. They are out scouting almost everyday. Occasionally they would find big feeds of lessers or snows that at various times of the day would get visited by ducks. A peanut, soybean or corn field that is getting worked by lots of geese is very visible to ducks and pulls them in. I hunted with the same outfitter most times so was able to persuade them to put out a dozen or two field ducks on one end of the goose spread. Sometimes a spinner or two. Usually; right at legal or just before, mallards, pins or widgeon would whip over the spread. They'd find the duck deeks and set wings. If we were lucky, this might happen twice before the geese took all of our attention. We never found dry feeding ducks in sufficient numbers or hitting the same area reliably enough to warrant setting up a dry field "duck only" spread.
I'd much rather find a good playa lake and set up layouts for ducks over water. The ultimate would be an overflowing playa with sheet water out into the corn or peanuts. Need rain for that.
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Re: Field Hunting in North Texas
[Re: Littledog]
#8105140
12/28/20 02:08 AM
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Joined: May 2018
Posts: 1,177
2flyfish4
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 1,177 |
This is just what I experienced / learned from hunting geese in the panhandle and north Texas: I always hunted geese with an outfitter. They are out scouting almost everyday. Occasionally they would find big feeds of lessers or snows that at various times of the day would get visited by ducks. A peanut, soybean or corn field that is getting worked by lots of geese is very visible to ducks and pulls them in. I hunted with the same outfitter most times so was able to persuade them to put out a dozen or two field ducks on one end of the goose spread. Sometimes a spinner or two. Usually; right at legal or just before, mallards, pins or widgeon would whip over the spread. They'd find the duck deeks and set wings. If we were lucky, this might happen twice before the geese took all of our attention. We never found dry feeding ducks in sufficient numbers or hitting the same area reliably enough to warrant setting up a dry field "duck only" spread.
I'd much rather find a good playa lake and set up layouts for ducks over water. The ultimate would be an overflowing playa with sheet water out into the corn or peanuts. Need rain for that.
X2 Any ducks you find in dry fields in texas are bc of geese.
Instagram - 2flyfish4
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Re: Field Hunting in North Texas
[Re: Trey Finn]
#8105340
12/28/20 06:46 AM
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Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 1,515
Sewer rat
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 1,515 |
I have hunted literally thousands of days in dry fields in Texas for geese. I can count on my hands the number of times we shot ducks. I spent a couple of months in Canada Hunting waterfowl and we killed the snot out of ducks in dry fields. I don’t really understand what the difference is but for some reason I never saw many in the fields in Texas. Most we did shoot were widgeon.
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Re: Field Hunting in North Texas
[Re: Trey Finn]
#8105966
12/28/20 09:24 PM
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Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 45
Woodlands Water Turkey
Light Foot
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Light Foot
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 45 |
We just hunted some winter wheat north of Wichita Falls and could not keep the wigeon out of the goose spread.
Last edited by Woodlands Water Turkey; 12/28/20 09:25 PM.
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Re: Field Hunting in North Texas
[Re: Trey Finn]
#8108141
12/30/20 05:22 PM
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 6,680
Hopedale
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 6,680 |
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Re: Field Hunting in North Texas
[Re: Trey Finn]
#8109176
12/31/20 02:33 PM
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Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 428
PoppinPiggies
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 428 |
Only luck I have had on wheat fields is when they are flooded.... when that happens get ready cuz it can be INSANE.
Follow me on instagram @crosstexasoutdoors
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Re: Field Hunting in North Texas
[Re: Trey Finn]
#8115618
01/05/21 03:58 AM
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 408
JRR
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 408 |
Some days all we kill are ducks in goose spreads in wheat. Bizarre days They come errand don't mess around
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Re: Field Hunting in North Texas
[Re: Trey Finn]
#8116491
01/05/21 08:35 PM
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,053
nacgoat08
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,053 |
I've mostly seen widgeon in the wheat fields in north Texas.
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Re: Field Hunting in North Texas
[Re: Littledog]
#8119679
01/07/21 10:19 PM
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Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 25
USscott
Light Foot
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Light Foot
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 25 |
Exactly this for North Texas
Conservation is using a well trained retriever.
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Re: Field Hunting in North Texas
[Re: Trey Finn]
#8119700
01/07/21 10:30 PM
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Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 172
wacoducks
Woodsman
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Woodsman
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 172 |
I hunt just north of the Red River in Oklahoma and we have never hunted a dry field, the closest thing you get here for ducks is a low spot in the wheat that is flooded with sheet water
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Re: Field Hunting in North Texas
[Re: Trey Finn]
#8119932
01/08/21 12:50 AM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 21,648
Sniper John
gumshoe
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gumshoe
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 21,648 |
Where I'm crane hunting right now in young county there have been rare times with sheet water in the wheat field that 100s of widgets or teal have worked it. But again only maybe half a dozen perfect storm moments over 20 years time. Other than that I never really see ducks working dry fields in the north of dfw area. North of the red yes, but that is in areas with lots more agriculture than here. I have had success on pressured north Texas lake dry lake, dry mud flat, and dry lake pot holes when the main lake was getting hammered. It's often overlooked. As well as I have done in the lake mud holes I have always wanted to try the fake sheet plastic water with decoys on the upper dry lake areas or in a dry wetland cell just for kicks.
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